You've been hearing about it for years now. Apple's next-generation operating system, OS X, is going to change the way you use your Macintosh forever. At last, the Mac will have a fully modern operating system. Preemptive multitasking! Protected memory! Powerful graphics! And a whole new set of souped-up applications designed specifically to take advantage of OS X's improved speed and stability.

"Great," you say, "but I've heard all this before. Just tell me when the OS will be ready."

"Soon," Apple says.

"How soon?" you say.

"Very soon," Apple says.

It's easy to become jaded by the hype, but don't be too skeptical. OS X is just around the corner, and it will radically affect your Mac experience. But things don't always go according to plan. Delays crop up. And when it comes to developing something as labor-intensive as an entirely new operating system, one delay can have a domino effect.

Want to understand the tortuous process of producing an entirely new OS? Think of your favorite childhood board game. Do something good, and you get to jump ahead several spaces toward the finish line. Make a mistake, and you slide back to square one. The road to OS X will work much the same way.

With that in mind, we proudly present the game Carbonland. Feel free to play it with family and friends as you while away the next few months, waiting for Mac OS X to make its early 2001 shipping date.

Carbonland was developed by Associate Editors PHILIP MICHAELS and MATHEW HONAN, and Editor in Chief ANDREW GORE.